(WRAS) State Water Plan Subbasin 03B Maiden Creek Watershed (Schuylkill River) Berks and Lehigh Counties

Updated March 2004 Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) State Water Plan Subbasin 03B Maiden Creek Watershed (Schuylkill River) Berks and Lehigh Counties Introduction Subbasin 03B watershed comprises the northern corner of Berks County and the western tip of Lehigh County. The total watershed area is 300 square miles. Maiden Creek drains 216 square miles, the largest portion of the basin. The basin also includes the Schuylkill River from the southern flank of Blue Mountain down through the confluence of Maiden Creek. A total of 230 streams flow for 421 miles through the subbasin. The southern part of the basin reaches the northern suburbs of the city of Reading. The subbasin is included in HUC Area 2040203, Schuylkill River, a Category I, FY99/2000 Priority watershed under the Unified Watershed Assessment. Geology/Soils The geology of the subbasin is diverse and includes igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary bedrock. The northern two-thirds and the western portion of the subbasin are located within the Ridge and Valley Ecoregion, Northern Shale Valleys Section (67b). The surface strata are mainly comprised of shale interbedded with limestone and dolomite of the Martinsburg Formation. The terrain in this section consists of rolling hills and some steeper ridges. Many small tributaries flow down the narrow valleys between the hills. The soil is shallow and very rocky. The shale region absorbs less precipitation than the carbonate valley to the south and the streams are larger and the runoff potential is greater. Blue Mountain, which forms the steep northern boundary of the subbasin, is within the Northern Sandstone Ridges section (67c) comprised of erosion resistant, relatively lowly buffered, weather resistant quartzitic sandstone and conglomerate. Many high gradient streams originate on the mountain and flow down into shale or limestone valleys. A wide band of the Northern Limestone Dolomite Valleys (67a) section passes through the lower third of the subbasin, through middle Sacony Creek in the Kutztown area, upper Moselem Creek, Willow Creek north of the railroad line, and Peters Creek along the eastern edge of Lake Ontelaunee. This limestone valley is flat lying to gently sloping with caves and sinkholes; much of the drainage is subsurface. Streams are generally small and shallow except where they are replenished by large springs. Moselem Creek is an example of a large limestone spring-fed stream. These streams also normally maintain a cool temperature year-round and can provide excellent habitat for trout if not degraded. Limestone is a valuable aggregate for construction and road building; two limestone quarries are in operation in Maiden Creek watershed. The southeastern edge of the watershed contains granite-gneiss of the Reading Prong (58h), part of the Northeastern Highlands Ecoregion, formed of uplifted Precambrian igneous rocks. Reading Prong soils are fine-grained. This steeply sloped section forms the headwaters of Sacony and Little Sacony Creeks, which are very rocky, high gradient streams. This section is the least suitable for agriculture and most of it is still wooded with scattered houses. This area forms part of the watershed divide between Manatawny Creek and Little Lehigh Creek. The limestone bedrock and the highly mineralized shale result in neutral to alkaline waters and productive agricultural soils through most of the subbasin. The limestone section provides the most productive soils and most of this area is in agricultural use for crops. Soils derived from shale and granite of quartzite generally have a rather high runoff potential. Streams through these bedrock types have a flashy nature, with lower low flows and higher high flows. Soils formed from the Martinsburg Formation shale have a very low water infiltration rate. Limestone derived soils have higher infiltration rates due to sinkholes, depressions and secondary faults. Limestone soils also have a greater vulnerability due to the high infiltration rates. When precipitation readily infiltrates, surface pollutants such as nitrates and pesticides are also readily carried into the groundwater, which has a high potential to reach water supply wells. Fractures in the limestone rocks provide the best groundwater yields in the subbasin. Water yields in the Reading Prong strata are poor unless wells tap into fractures. 1 Land Use The subbasin is in a mixed land use of agricultural, woodlands, and scattered villages and boroughs, except for the nearly completely forested Blue Mountain area. Streamside woodlands are intact through much of the shale and granite-gneiss portions of the subbasin. Much of the steep slopes of these sections also retain their woodlands. A total of 53,000 people resided in the subbasin in 1990; population is projected to rise to 62,000 by 2040. Approximately 58% of the Maiden Creek watershed is used for agriculture and forested lands comprise 39%. The majority of the farmlands are in the limestone valley of the southern watershed; however, the primary land use in the headwaters is also agriculture. Most of the forested land is on Blue Mountain, the State Game Lands, and around Lake Ontelaunee. Small residential subdivisions are spreading out from the boroughs and villages. Maidencreek Township, located north of Reading and bordering Lake Ontelaunee on the east, has had the most growth during the past decade. While only one subdivision was present in 1979, the township now has 13 subdivisions with 1,700 proposed units. The more intensively developed areas include the boroughs of Fleetwood and Kutztown and small villages such as Lenhartsville, Virginville, and Kempton. With development pressures mounting in the subbasin, preservation of the areas with the best agricultural soils is critical to maintain the agricultural productivity and heritage of the region. Natural Resources: • The PA Game Commission has a large state game lands on Blue Mountain at the northern boundary of the subbasin. Several other small game lands are located in the watershed. • Lake Ontelaunee a 1,082-acre impoundment on lower Maiden Creek is managed as a public water supply for the City of Reading. Most of the lake is open to public fishing along the shore and for ice fishing; boating is not permitted. The PA Game Commission manages a portion of the surrounding land for wildlife. Hunting and hiking on this land is allowed seasonally. • Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is located on upper Pine Creek. Thousands of people visit during the fall hawk migration. • The PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) owned Leaser Lake is located on an unnamed tributary to Ontelaunee Creek near the village of Jacksonville. The woods surrounding the lake which is owned by Lehigh County and the PFBC is a diverse second growth forest habitat. • Sacony Marsh is a 20-acre significant palustrine wetland located southeast of Kutztown that contains populations of rare or endangered plants. • The Pennsylvania Audubon Society has identified Lake Ontelaunee and its surrounding fields and woods as an Important Bird Area for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. PA Fish and Boat Commission Class A Trout Waters (highest biomass category): • Furnace Creek, brook trout, headwaters down to near SR4044 (2.8 miles, Berks County) • Peters Creek (UNT #01994), brook trout, a limestone spring creek (0.75 mile, Berks County) DEP Chapter 93 Exceptional Value (EV) and High-Quality (HQ) Stream Listings: • EV Streams: • Sacony Creek headwaters down to SR1029 bridge in Rockland Township • Peters Creek (UNT #01994) • HQ Streams: • Pine Creek, source to farthest downstream crossing of T-803 • Moselem Creek, a limestone spring creek Water Supplies: Eleven water suppliers are drawing water from the subbasin, mostly using wells and springs. Lake Ontelaunee is used as a water supply for the City of Reading and a reservoir on Furnace Creek supplies water to the Borough of Hamburg. Three municipal water authorities in Maiden Creek watershed supplying the Boroughs of Kutztown, Topton, and Lyons, and Manatawny Township (Flint Hill Water Company) are participating in the DEP wellhead protection program. The purpose of the wellhead protection program is to restrict land uses within the delineated zones of contribution that threaten groundwater quality. 2 Water Quality The subbasin has relatively good water quality. The 12 miles of main stem Maiden Creek that has been uassessed is unimpaired, as are the entire 12.4 miles of the upper main stem, which is known as Ontelaunee Creek. Fourteen unnamed tributaries (UNTs) of Maiden/Ontelaunee Creek are impaired by siltation and nutrients from agriculture, urban runoff, small residential development, derelict land, and upstream impoundments. The lower three miles of Maiden Creek is impacted by habitat alteration by the upstream impoundment, Onetelaunee Lake. Five miles of Willow Creek is impacted by flow alterations from industrial point sources and natural sources. Portions of the following tributary watersheds to Maiden/ Ontelaunee Creek are impaired by same sources as the Maiden Creek UNTs: 4 UNTs to School Creek, , Kistler Creek, all of main stem and one UNT, 2 UNTs to Pine Creek, 2 UNTs to Sacony Creek, all of main stem Little Sacony Creek, 1.5 miles of main stem Mill Creek near Kutztown and all or portions of 21 UNTs, 5 miles of main stem Willow Creek and all of one UNT. The Schuylkill River meets its designated use for human health; however, 8 UNTs are impaired by nutrients from in-site wastewater, agriculture, golf courses, & derelict land. Impaired named tributary watersheds of the Schuylkill River are: one UNT to Pigeon Creek, Irish Creek, entire main stem and 6 UNTs, one UNT to Plum Creek. Two UNTs to the Schuylkill River are impacted by water flow variability from urban runoff and storm sewers. TMDL’s will be developed for the impaired streams described above, except for impairments due to water flow variability. Lake Ontelaunne, however, is impaired by siltation and nutrients from agriculture, urban runoff, small residential development, derelict land, and upstream impoundments. High algal counts in Lake Ontelaunee create filtration and taste and odor problems in the public water supply.

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